I am goign to make chili today and I also have chicken fajitas planned and I am looking for a soup recipie
Hah. So true.
I went to Mass on an empty stomach, and now I feel queasy.
Thank you all for the concern … and resisting the urge to reach across the Internet and slap me silly. 
I’m an idiot and a whole lot of other things, and y’all are angels for putting up with me. MUAH!
Now, I must go get some food before I fall over.
I’ll give y’all my menu for the week:
Shrimp Stir-fry and Fried Rice
Meatball Stroganoff and Egg Noodles
Chicken Pomodoro (pounded sauteed chicken breasts, with a cream sauce and chopped tomatoes - a new recipe)
Mexican pork chops with Spanish rice - very easy recipe
Pizza (made with refrigerated dough)
And my big meal of the week, a new recipe called Citrus Chicken Fricasee with Baby Veggies and New Red Potatoes
If you want recipes, I can post them!
I am fuming and almost crying.
Remember when I posted about not getting a thank you from any of my family re the Christmas presents I sent them? And that my sister had emailed me and said thanks after I forwarded the company’s email requesting delivery confirmation to her?
I just got off the phone with my mother, who called to say happy birthday to #1 son–yes, a few days late (no biggie). He is not home so I asked her if she had received our present from Amazon (remember, I emailed them to tell them it was coming–and told them over the phone). She went vague and then claimed the my dad handles all the mail, “he gets mad if I get the mail first” (lord, what life she must lead), so she doesn’t know if a package came or not. How do you not know–you who are home all day–if a package, a package you’ve been told to expect, came? And then it was “oh, he must have forgot to tell me about it. He’s in Florida right now.” I bought them a garden thingy–it’s copper and spins in the wind; kind of like yard art, but not crappy tacky yard art. Got my brother the same thing; haven’t heard a peep from him, either.
If you all remember (no reason why you should), these are people who never called me to thank me for last year’s Xmas presents, and when I asked them about it in August, they denied ever receiving anything! Then they said that “with everything in such confusion” or some such nonsense that they dimly recalled a specialty puzzle of a satellite map image of Falmouth, MA with their house delineated with a star. (they love puzzles. Wasn’t that thoughtful of me? To find and procure a map that puts together two of their loves: puzzles and Cape Cod.) But that they packed it right away, what with them closing the Memphis house and all. Dimly recalled? Closing the Memphis house–as if. Dad waited too long, sure he could get a higher price and now they’re stuck there, or at least with the upkeep of a house they no longer need or want. My heart bleeds. Not.
I am so pissed right now. No, they will not be getting a Christmas present from me(us) next year. Why bother? :mad: 
And then she says, “hey, I bought 3 shirts at J. Jill, but one of them is too big–I don’t wear a large, so I thought of you. Do you want it?” Listen, you passive/aggressive old woman–I’m 5’7", not 5’2". Yes, sometimes I wear a large. No, I don’t want to dress like I’m 75 years old. I don’t want a “lettuce necked” short sleeved shirt.
(ok, the last bit is a hot button issue, too long to go into here. Trust me when I say she wasn’t being generous or nice or practical with that offer).
I want to hit something, hard.
{{{{Rigs}}}}
{{{{Haze}}}}
{{{{Cutie}}}}
That is all…
(((MMPers)))
I think most of us need hugs.
Sigh. Mr. Lissar just talked to his brother, and found out that his Mom is unemployed, has no savings, and has maxed out all her credit cards, and can’t make her mortgage payments. And apparently her boyfriend/fiance has turned out to be a ‘con artist’ (no details). We’re feeling pretty glum.
There’s nothing we can do- she lives in another town, we don’t have a lot of money either, we’re about to have a baby, I couldn’t stand living in a one-bedroom apartment with her (not nice but true- you really have to get along with someone well to share lodgings with an inlaw). Everything just seems to have gone wrong for her since she moved from Toronto. She’s always been a hypochondriac but now she starts jobs and quits after a couple of months, or just temps. She’s only in her mid-50s. It sucks to be bombing out at a time when you should be reasonably settled.
Sigh.
Wow, large number of hugs required here.
I think the best thing you can do, rigs, is what you’re doing (no more presents). Of course, this will make them wonder next year where your present is. :rolleyes: But I really think that’s for the best. I can’t believe that they wouldn’t acknowledge presents from you. Even on the off chance that they didn’t actually like the presents (it sounds like you’ve put a lot of though into them), it’s not that hard to say thank you. It’s just sad.
Oooh, those sound like good dinners, Rebo. I’m interested in recipes for 3 of the five: the pork chops and both of the chickens… I, too, am trying to develop some discipline around…well…life. Planned meals for the week would be good.
Pulled pork…yummmmmmm.
Off to be organized. Or something.
GT
GT–I know. And for years I have kept a certain distance between me and my folks, and yes, even the kids and my folks. After my sister died, though, things seemed to get better, to some degree (I mean we were never going to be the Brady Bunch), so this comes after I was lulled, so to speak. What I find hard to swallow is that even during this phone call, she never said anything along the lines of “thanks for thinking of us” or “that was thoughtful of you”–you know, basic courtesies that SHE drummed into us as kids and all. Believe me, she wouldn’t do this to anyone else, I mean not someone outside the family. :rolleyes:
I am back from a long walk, which helped the “I want to hurt somethings” as well as the impulse to cry. Keep in mind, this is a woman whose visits were always a big deal to my kids when they were little, so when she would call(long distance) to talk to #1 son (her favorite, which she made no attempt to hide, despite my calling her on it) and then would hang up, not speaking to Daughter or #2 son… I would call her back and tell her she had to say hello to the others and she would say, “why? I only wanted to say hello to #1 son.”
Grrrrrr.
So, this isn’t some new senile dementia symptom or anything. I did tell her on the phone that I didn’t see much point in sending something next year, to which she had no reply.
Anyway, have to go driving with #1 son soon. I am sick of this practice stuff, but he is not picking it up the way Daughter did. (ya know, I think I should call her #1 daughter, just for fun). He really isn’t all that interested, oddly enough. If you ask him where his favorite place in the world is (keep in mind he’s been to Europe, Florida, Texas, Canada, New England and other spots), he will say his room in the basement. That’s kinda scary, no?
Oh, man - that really sucks, you guys!
{{{{MMPers}}}.
I have found that it really lessens the stress when you have all the ingredients for a planned menu.
Recipes:
Mexican Pork Chops
1 tbs veg oil
4-6 boneless pork chops (or bone-in, doesn’t matter)
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/2 c bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can kidney or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 c uncooked long grain white rice
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350° (175°C.)
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the pork chops about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Saute the onion, peppers and garlic in remaining oil until softened. Add in the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until heated through, about a minute.
Transfer tomato/rice mixture to a 13 x 9 baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray.) Arrange pork chops on top and cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until rice is done.
Chicken Pomodoro
4 chicken cutlets
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dredging
2 tbs veg oil
1/4 c. vodka
1/2 c chicken broth
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/ c tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs heavy cream
1/3 c scallions, sliced
Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Spray a saute pan with non-stick spray and add 2 tbs oil, heat to medium high.
Saute culets on both sides. Transfer to a platter, pour off fat from pan.
Deglaze with vodka (AWAY FROM FLAME!) - cook until nearly evaporated. Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute. Transfer to warm plate.
Finish sauce with tomatoes and cream. Heat through, then pour over cutlets. Garnish with sliced scallions.
Wow - I just looked at the fricasee one. It’s pretty long to type out. I was gonna link to the free issue of Cuisine at Home that it’s in - it has a different recipe! Go check out the site though - lots of good stuff there. If I get more energetic I’ll post it.
Ugh. That sucks, rigs. Sometimes people who are perfectly thoughtful and appreciative to others are incredibly thoughtless when it comes to relatives, I guess.
Hugs for Li-Li and Pie as well.
I have rice and beans in me and it makes life a little bit better.
I just talked to Mr. Cheerio about the happenings of last night (which happened after he had left) and his opinion was that That Guy was finally coming to his senses and now he needs to grow a pair and make some kind of decision. Hmph.
On a side note, if I ever end up going line-dancing with Victorian Heroine my life will officially have become a sitcom. A really surreal one. gardentraveler, I would write all of this into a novel, but I think I’d end up with a dime romance. :rolleyes: 
{{{rigs}}} - sorry your family is acting like a collective butthead. I promise if you send me a present, I’ll thank you. My mom pinged on me because no one got thank-you notes from my kid for Christmas. Turns out she’d written them, but when one of her friends was helping her pack for her move, the notes ended up packed. She did find them last Thursday and finally got them in the mail. I know that has nothing to do with your situation, but, well, there it is. Here’s another {{{rigs}}} just because.
Whew - I’ve been running amok in the kitchen. I brewed up some iced tea for my sweetie, and I made some egg salad for him, too (I don’t much like either.) I built a big pot of veggie soup with a beef broth base (but no meat) and 'maters, carrots, cabbage, green beans, onions, mushrooms, cauliflower, and whatever seasonings I grabbed from the cabinet. It smells yummmmmm. Plus I just finished making 2 batches of sugar-free gelatin (we’re trying to start eating smart again.) I wanted to make him a big pot of chili, but I only had 2 small cans of kidney beans, no peppers, and only 2 onions. So tomorrow, I’ll make a grocery run (too pooped to bother today) and I’ll make his chili then for freezing/lunches/whatever.
No idea what we’ll do for supper tonight. We had a late breakfast, and I’m just not hungry. I’ll probably have some cheese and crackers later, or maybe some fruit. Or I could shake up some sugar-free chocolate pudding - that’s sorta healthy, right? I mean, it’s chocolate. That’s one of the basic food groups. Or does that sound like a rationalization?
It smells souperiffic in here. I know what I’m taking for lunch tomorrow.
Last load of clothes in the dryer. It’s been a busy day. I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.
I did 3 ambulance calls between midnight and noon day, and I wasn’t even on duty. :mad:
I can’t even sleep right now, cuz VWife is watching the Colts game…
I think I want something simple and comforting for dinner. Like rice and beans. Thanks, Haze.
The recipes look yummy. I wonder how the chicken thing would freeze?
I am still all weirded out by my tooth breaking.
Hope everyone is feelin’/doin’ better. Betwixt messed up families and teh sick this has been one of our rougher MMPs it looks like. I’m actually feelin’ a little better. Not great, but a little better. My haid is still stopped up and I’m achy but my throat feels better and the cough is almost gone.
I need to eat sump’n. Hmmm… soup… make some aig sallit… some mac&cheese… whatever it is it’s gotta be from the “comfort food” group.
I made chocolate chip cookies (pan); they’re in the oven as we speak. I had leftover crab linguini with Alfredo garlic sauce for lunch–I may never eat again. But dayum, it was good…
Back from driving with #1 son. We went on the expressway and looped around and back again. Question: how come practicing driving with someone seems to take no time at all, but actually getting someplace on time seems almost impossible most days? We are slowly working our way to his required 50 hours. Have you ever tried to just drive around for an hour? It’s impossible, unless you have a destination. Or it’s impossible to me–I get bored and restless. We end up doing about 1/2 hour, which means getting the required time will take forever. And he has finals this week, so no driving–he needs to study.
I’m reading the Dragons of Pern series. I think this means I must turn in my Cool Kid card. It’s pretty good, so far. A bit stiff in places and when she writes stuff like, “that’s a hard roll to chew” (like a tough nut to crack, I suppose), I have to laugh.
Veggie soup is pretty good, but I prefer having a little meat in it - the flavor is so much better from beef as opposed to beef broth. And I think I put a little too much pepper in it. Oh well.
Laundry is done for the day. Grocery shopping tomorrow after work.
It’s drizzly and ick outside - glad I’m indoors and dry and relatively warm.
That’s all I’ve got - how boring…
Considering that I’m fairly cranky I’d have to say, rigs, your mom sounds like a wicked old bat. (Take my opinion with a grain of salt or not.)
I’m trying not make a big deal of this because it won’t do me any good anyways however… When I was talking to TVMan this afternoon he told me that his nice ex-girlfriend, the one who lives near GT and is married with 2 kids will be in town next weekend and he’s going to see her, but I’ll already have travelled back to Akron by the time that she arrives. No, wait. That’s not the big deal part. I can understand getting together with someone that you’re still on good terms with just to catch up on good times. Here’s the part that I’m trying to be cool with: In June TVMan and ok ex will be taking a trip to Cedar Point (amusement park) together. By themselves. Now, I guess I should tell you that I don’t ride rides. But other than that, doesn’t it make you wonder why no one else is invited? This was ex’s idea. I wonder what her husband thinks about this. I’m just not sure what to think about this either.
What say you, Mumpers?
{{{rigs}}} family can be well difficult
Target entrance fee was $200.45 :eek: :eek: :eek:
Groceries are got and this weeks menu will include chilli, roast cauliflower & egg plant with marinara, lime marinaded chicken and veggies, fajitas and possible butternut squash risotto.
My grocery store had a ton of offers on veggies and fruit so I am about to go clean up a pineapple I got for a dollar and have me a snack
all times listed as EST, which is GMT-5:[del]db - 1/9/08 5:00 pm
swampy - 1/9/08 8:35 pm
haze - 1/10/08 12:01 am
Wally - 1/10/08 1:45 am
MBG - 1/10/08 2:34 am
rosie - 1/10/08 3:14 am
SeanF - 1/10/08 6:00 am
herbs - 1/10/08 10:08 am
mmmmmmmmm - 1/10/08 4:36 pm
rigs - 1/10/08 11:00 pm
Rebo 1/10/08 9:17 pm
VBob - 1/11/08 5:00 am
Achod - 1/11/08 5:23 am
BooFae - 1/11/08 6:45 am
FCM - 1/11/08 11:11 am
gt - 1/11/08 3:45 pm
Dottygd - 1/11/08 3:54 pm
kai - 1/12/08 1:30 am
SpazCat - 1/12/08 4:50 am
McUne - 1/12/08 7:02 am
Heff-a-Roo - 1/12/08 7:28 am
Taters - 1/12/08 11:05 am
Pie - 1/12/08 4:53 pm
MamaT - 1/13/08 3:45 am
taxi - 1/13/08 10:38 am
BwanaBob - 1/13/08 12:01 pm[/del]
Shadow - 1/13/08 6:05 pm
pugs - 1/14/08 1:14 am
wow. only two left standing.
Haze - be very very careful. Very very VERY careful. They don’t say “once a cheater, always a cheater” for nothing. We don;t want to see you get hurt.
Pie–that sounds weird as hell to me. Why not a day of it for all? Then again, it’s an amusement park. I dunno. I have trust issues. Don’t ask me.
Pan cookies are warm from oven and melty chocolate good. Season 1 of House to start here at 6pm (it didn’t arrive until Saturday and I wanted to finish Season 3–so, this will be interesting to use the Way Back machine).
And my knitting looks like crap, plus I’m bored with it. The knit stitch is boring, but I don’t understand the others (yet). No, I will not work on this regularly or practice often. I’m sure to see improvement soon doing that, no? 